Borda Nova, Andorra: Multifamily Passivhaus

ideadmin on 22 November 2024

La Borda Nova, Andorra: Multiresidential Passivhaus

Description Public development with 44 social housing units, designed by architects Pau Iglesias Rodríguez and Jacint Gil Rodríguez, with Oliver Style of Praxis Resilient Buildings as Passivhaus certifier. The building is located in the city of Andorra La Vella, the capital city of Andorra. The project has a treated floor area of 3350 m2 and …

La Borda Nova, Andorra: Multifamily Passivhaus

Passivhaus Certification, thermal bridge calculations

Description

Public development with 44 social housing units, designed by architects Pau Iglesias Rodríguez and Jacint Gil Rodríguez, with Oliver Style of Praxis Resilient Buildings as Passivhaus certifier. The building is located in the city of Andorra La Vella, the capital city of Andorra.

The project has a treated floor area of 3350 m2 and includes 228 parking places, ground floor commercial premises and a roof garden.

Alongside the certification of the building, Praxis is carrying out Passivhaus component certification of the Butech (Porcelanosa) prefabricated construction system which is being installed on the façade of the building.

Links:

PEP (Plataforma Edificación Passivhaus)

iPHa (Base de datos internacional de proyectos Passivhaus)

Fotos & renders: Locubsa; Pau Iglesias y Jacint Gil

Year: 2024
Location: Andorra La Vella, Andorra
Architecture: Pau Iglesias Rodríguez – Jacint Gil Rodríguez
Services provided by Praxis: Passivhaus Certification, thermal bridge calculations
Passivhaus Certification Class: Passivhaus Classic
Climate zone: Warm Temperate
Floor area: 3350 m2
Thermal envelope area: 4796 m2
Blower Door Result: 0,6 n50
Heating Demand: 17 kWh/m2·a
Cooling Demand: – kWh/m2·a
Primary Energy Renewable consumption (EPR): 70 kWh/m2·a
Final Energy consumption: 78 kWh/m2·a
Renewable energy generation: 0 kWh/m2·a
CO2eq emissions: 17 kg/m2·a

Casa SG Joaquim: Passivhaus Plus

ideadmin on 21 November 2024

Description Casa SG Joaquim is a Passivhaus Plus certified home, designed by architect and Passivhaus Designer Sergi Gargallo of SgARQ Passivhaus Architecture, and certified by Oliver Style of Praxis Resilient Buildings. This terraced home has a façade to the main street and the interior patio to the rear of the property. The building consists of …

Casa SG Joaquim: Passivhaus Plus

Passivhaus

Description

Casa SG Joaquim is a Passivhaus Plus certified home, designed by architect and Passivhaus Designer Sergi Gargallo of SgARQ Passivhaus Architecture, and certified by Oliver Style of Praxis Resilient Buildings. This terraced home has a façade to the main street and the interior patio to the rear of the property.

The building consists of a ground floor and a first floor with an accessible roof terrace, garden and swimming pool. External walls are insulated with 100mm of external insulation, eliminating structural thermal bridges, with 200mm of thermal insulation on the roofs.

High-performance windows and a very low level of air leaks- tested on-site with a Blower Door test- reduce heat losses in winter and heat gains in the summer, keeping the house comfortable with minimal energy consumption.

The home has a whole house balanced mechanical ventilation system with heat and humidity recovery, with a Zehnder ComfoairQ 350 ERV unit, certified as a Passivhaus component for hot climates. To reach Passivhaus Plus, 18 solar photovoltaic panels were installed on the roof, forming a 6.7 kWp array. PHPP energy modelling indicated the home will have an annual consumption of around 4282 kWh/a, with an on-site photovoltaic generation of around 7903 kWh/a.

Links:

PEP (Plataforma Edificación Passivhaus)

iPHa (Base de datos internacional de proyectos Passivhaus)

Photos: Joan Giribet

Year: 2022
Location: Vilanova i la Geltrú, Catalonia, Spain
Architecture: SGArq Passivhaus Architecture
Services provided by Praxis: Passivhaus Certification
Passivhaus Certification Class: Passivhaus Plus
Climate zone: Warm Temperate
Floor area: 149 m2
Thermal envelope area: 475 m2
Blower Door Result: 0,6 n50
Heating Demand: 14 kWh/m2·a
Cooling Demand: 17 kWh/m2·a
Primary Energy Renewable consumption (EPR): 36 kWh/m2·a
Final Energy consumption: 29 kWh/m2·a
Renewable energy generation: 66 kWh/m2·a
CO2eq emissions: 15 kg/m2·a

Can Naiades: 15 steps towards a comfortable, healthy home, resilient, and efficient home

ideadmin on 13 November 2024

Can Naiades is a single-family, 4 bedroom, 2 storey Passivhaus Plus home, located in Sant Julia d’Alfou, Spain. Designed by Daniel Tigges from Tigges Architekt, and Praxis Resilient Buildings providing Passivhaus design.

Can Naiades: 15 steps towards a comfortable, healthy, resilient, and efficient home

Can Naiades is a single-family, 4 bedroom, 2 storey Passivhaus Plus home, located in Sant Julia d’Alfou, in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Designed by Daniel Tigges from Tigges Architekt, with Oftecnics as Quantity Surveyor/Site Supervisor, the house is built by House Habitat, with Fontalgar Instalaciones installing electrical and mechanical services, and Praxis Resilient Buildings providing Passivhaus design, HVAC system design and Blower Door testing. The house is being certified to Passivhaus standard by Micheel Wassouf of Energiehaus Arquitectos.

1. Bioclimatic design

The house is built on a site that is sloped from east to west, with large stone retaining walls creating a platform where the house can sit with the longest façades aligned south / north. To maximise solar gain and daylighting, the windows on the southern façade make up 72% of the total window area, meaning that around 79% of the home’s heating requirements will be provided by the sun (14% will be provided by internal heat gains and the remaining 7% by the active heating system). Southern glazing is shaded in the summer by the balcony on the intermediate floor and a roof overhang, with external venetian blinds on all windows. The house has a relatively compact design with a heat loss form factor of 462 ÷ 128 = 3.6 (total envelope area ÷ treated floor area).

2. Geobiological survey

Early in the design process, a geobiological survey of the site was done by Architect Sonia Hernandez from the Arquitectura Sana, to measure electromagnetic radiation on the plot and identify possible sources of contamination. Low frequency electric and magnetic fields, high frequency electromagnetic fields, geological alterations, gamma and neutronic radiation, and terrestrial magnetic fields were measured. The results of the survey showed some terrestrial magnetic fields where beds were located in two of the first-floor bedrooms. The layout of the upstairs bedrooms was therefore modified to avoid potential health problems associated with long-term exposure. Another recommendation from the survey was to ensure that cabling in the bedrooms was shielded to avoid electromagnetic radiation while sleeping. As far as possible, low emission materials have been used to reduce indoor contaminants.

3. Timber structure

The house is built with a lightweight timber structure assembled off-site by EGOIN, in the Basque country (northern Spain), using local radiata pine timber. The wall modules consist of 140mm timber studs, filled with recycled glass wool insulation and enclosed internally with a 12mm particle board and externally with a 12mm OSB 3 board.

The roof modules consist of 200mm joists, filled with recycled glass wool insulation, enclosed internally with a dynamic vapour control membrane and externally with an 18mm OSB 3 board.

The intermediate floor and roof modules all came factory fitted with a SIGA Wetguard waterproof membrane, to protect them from rain during on-site assembly. Due the double height design in the sitting room area, a part of the structure on the northern façade consists of 150mm Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) panels, together with a steel frame structure.

The wall and roof modules were delivered to site and the house was erected and waterproofed in only 8 working days, bringing with it all the advantages of off-site prefabrication: rapid onsite assembly, greater precision and build quality, less waste, and optimization of materials.

4. Earthing system

A good earthing system is particularly important in timber houses, to avoid electromagnetic radiation from cables and appliances that can affect occupants’ health. To this end, four 3-meter cooper earth rods were installed, connected to an earth cable, in turn connected to the reinforced steel structure of the concrete floor slab. The reinforced steel structure itself was also welded at specific points to ensure a good electrical connection across the slab. The connections between copper and steel were sealed with a special paste to prevent galvanic corrosion and ensure a good earth connection for the working life of the building. A resistance to ground of ≤ 6 Ohms is recommended: once the earthing system was complete, the measured result was 2.15 Ω. Fantastic!

5. Thermal insulation

The walls and roof of Can Naiades are insulated with Knauf Insulation recycled glass wool insulation, chosen for fire resistance, good thermal performance and because they incorporate a bio-based E-Technology binder, free from added phenols and formaldehydes, protecting both the workers on site and future occupants from harmful emissions. The walls are insulated within the timber structure with 140mm, together with 60mm externally, and a further 50mm in the internal service void. The roof has 200mm of insulation between the timber structure, and a further 150mm on top. Between 100mm and 200mm of XPS insulation has been installed under the concrete floor slab. Supplied by Pafile, small amounts of aerogel- about the most insulating material there is for use in buildings- has been used to insulate specific sections of steel I-beams that were needed to reinforce the structure. Steel is a good heat conductor, so the aerogel blankets reduce thermal bridging, heat loss and cold spots where the steel penetrates the thermal envelope.

6. Radon gas barrier

The floor slab is painted with a Soudatight liquid membrane made by Soudal, to form a radon gas barrier. This prevents the entrance of radon gas, which is naturally occurring, carcinogenic, invisible, and odourless, emitted from granitic rocks, and which can seep into building through floor slabs and walls to ground (for more information, see this article on radon gas).

7. Openings

The windows consist of triple glazed, argon-filled, low emissivity glazing and Passivhaus certified Smartwin timber-aluminium window frames made by Ventanas Gardea. Window thermal bridges are reduced to a minimum by insulating most of the fixed part of the frames. For the sills of the sliding and french windows, the frames are installed on an Isotop Winframer high density EPS board made by Iso Chemie, to reduce thermal bridging and cold spots. A FAKRO DEC quadruple-glazed roof light provides daylighting to the stairwell to the north. A Passivhaus certified airtight and insulated Petwalk cat flap will let the cat in and out with minimal heat loss.

8. Airtightness and vapour control

SIGA airtight tapes have been used for all the airtight sealing. A SIGA Majrex 200 dynamic membrane provides the air barrier and vapour control layer in the roof. The membrane has a variable vapour diffusion resistance, which means in winter it acts as a vapour barrier, and in summer, it lets vapour pass through. This protects the roof modules from the exfiltration of warm and humid air in the winter (important for avoiding interstitial condensation damage in flat non-ventilated timber roofs) and allows back drying in the summer (in case any humidity has accumulated during the winter, or due a water leak- whether during construction or in the future). A FINSA Superpan VapourStop particle board provides the air barrier and vapour control layer in the external walls. The house will undergo a whole-building Blower Door airtightness test, to meet the stringent Passivhaus requirement of n50 ≤ 0.6 ach. This means the equivalent total surface area of all the air leaks in the house will constitute a hole about 10cm x 10cm.

Hermeticidad al aire y control del vapor

9. Ventilation

Clearly you can’t build an airtight, draught-free home without making sure the space is adequately ventilated, otherwise air quality would be terrible and there’d be way too much humidity in the indoor air. Added to this, every day, while we eat an average of 1kg of food and drink around 2 litres of water, we breath around 8000 litres of air. So reliable ventilation and good air quality are really important! In Can Naiades we’re using a Zehnder balanced whole-house mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery, that recovers around 90% of the heat from outgoing stale air and uses it to preheat incoming air. In the summer the heat recovery process is reversed, whereby incoming air is cooled by the relatively cooler outgoing stale air. If the outdoor air temperature is lower than the indoor temperature, an automatic bypass opens so that relatively cooler outdoor air is let in directly, providing “free cooling”. In the entire process, the heat recovery unit consumes about the same amount of electricity as 2 low-energy light bulbs. The system blows pre-heated (or pre-cooled in the summer) fresh air into the bedrooms, sitting room and office, and extracts stale air from the kitchen and bathrooms, working 24 h/d, 365 days/year, silently and efficiently. The heat recovery unit includes a F7 filter on the incoming outdoor, removing pollutants in the outdoor air, which will mainly come from wood fires in the winter.

10. Keeping cool in the summer

Heat waves have been a feature of recent years, and are set to increase over the coming decades, so a series of design strategies have been implemented that will help keep the house cool, using very little energy. A balcony between the ground and first floor, together with the roof overhang, shade the southern glazing in the summer. All windows have Griesser Solomatic external venetian blinds, with slats that can be adjusted to let in natural light but block direct sunlight. The FAKRO roof light has an external awning to block solar gain, together with a motorised opening mechanism, which means it can be opened when it’s hot inside and cooler outside, drawing cool air in through the ground floor and 1^st floor bedrooms and out through the roof light. The height difference provides higher air flow rates through what’s called the “stack” effect. The office and bedroom windows all have mosquito netting so then can be left tilted open at night, without bugs coming in. As in vernacular Mediterranean architecture, the house is rendered white on most of the façade, which means it reflects more sun in the summer and keeps cooler. 3 deciduous black poplar trees to the south and west of the house have been kept in place, to provide additional shading in the summer.

11. Heating & cooling

Comfort heating and cooling is provided by a Zehnder ComfoClime Q autonomous heat pump heating/cooling coil on the ventilation system. In heating mode, the heat pump extracts heat from the extract air and passes it to the supply air, heating it to up to 49ºC. In cooling mode, the unit extracts heat from the supply air and passes it to the extract air, cooling it down to 12ºC. This way, during most of the year, the heating and cooling needs of the home will be covered by the ventilation supply air, providing up to 3.8 kW of heating power and 1.7 kW of cooling power at a flow rate of 400 m3/h.

For peak cooling loads, a Panasonic Aquarea Ecoflex heat pump with a 7kW indoor ducted split unit, recirculates indoor air and removes heat from the building. Instead of dumping that heat to the outdoor air (as traditional air conditioners do) the Ecoflex recovers heat and transfers it the Domestic Hot Water (DHW) tank, thus reducing summer hot water energy consumption.

12. Domestic Hot Water (DHW)

The Panasonic Aquarea Ecoflex heat pump produces hot water for washing and showering, extracting heat from the outdoor air and transferring it to water in the DHW tank, moving- on average- 3.4 units of heat for every 1 unit of electricity (i.e. extremely efficient). As explained above, the heat pump has a heat recovery function when operating in cooling mode, where heat removed from the home is used to pre-heat hot water in the tank. This increases the heat pump’s performance by around 52%, i.e. it moves 5.1 units of heat for every 1 unit of electricity. Alongside this, each shower is equipped with a Zypho drain water heat recovery system supplied by Aliaxis, using the heat from wastewater to preheat incoming cold water, reducing DHW energy consumption by between 30% and 50%. The hot water tank and the bathrooms have been located close enough to each other, to avoid the need for a DHW recirculation loop, avoiding the associated heat losses (which then become heat gains in the summer…).

13. Solar photovoltaic generation

Can Naiades will have 18 roof mounted solar PV panels (6,7 kWp in total) installed by Prot Energia, which’ll generate around 7000 kWh/a. This means the home, on an annual basis, will generate around 25% more electricity that it consumes.

14. Water saving

Saving energy is good but so is saving water. During the design phase there was a major drought in Catalonia, so the owners were clear that saving water was also a priority, given that droughts and heat waves are only set to increase over the coming decades. To this end, a series of water saving solutions have been included in the home, to radically reduce water consumption. First up, an Intewa grey water treatment system supplied by Ecospai takes wastewater from showers and sinks, cleans it, and pumps it back to toilet cisterns and to the washing machine. Secondly, low-flow shower heads and taps reduce water consumption. In the ground floor bathroom, there is a dry urinal, which precludes the need to use a flush toilet and saves around 4 litres of water that goes down the drain on each flush. Lastly, a rain catchment system collects water for garden watering. There will be no swimming pool, and the garden will include local Mediterranean plant species that don’t need much water.

15. Monitoring & control

The home will be monitored to track energy and water consumption using the Loxone control system, supplied by HEBHAUS, along with MICA indoor air quality sensors supplied by INBIOT and radon gas sensors supplied by Bequerel. Additionally, the Loxone system will be used to control blinds, outdoor lighting, a video intercom, a car charger and the heating, cooling and ventilation system.

The owners would like to thank all of the following people and companies for their support with the project:

Tigges Architekt

Aliaxis

Arquitectura Sana

Bequerel

Ecospai

EGOIN

Energiehaus Arquitectos

Fontalgar Instalaciones

FAKRO

Ventanas Gardea

Griesser

HEBHAUS

House Habitat

INBIOT

Iso Chemie

Knauf Insulation

Loxone

Pafile

Panasonic

Petwalk

Prot Energia

SIGA

Soudal

Zehnder

We made it! Praxis Resilient Buildings achieves Passivhaus Classic Certification for Catalonia’s first certified care home!

ideadmin on 31 October 2024

Praxis Resilient Buildings logra la certificación Passivhaus Classic para la primera residencia de mayore

We made it! Praxis Resilient Buildings achieves Passivhaus Classic Certification for Catalonia’s first certified care home!

Mirador de Gracia: a groundbreaking Passivhaus certified care home in Barcelona

Praxis Resilient Buildings is proud to announce the Passivhaus Classic certification of Mirador de Gracia, Catalonia’s first certified care home designed to meet rigorous energy efficiency standards. Developed by FIATC Residencies and designed by Joaquim Rigau of GENARS, the building was certified by Micheel Wassouf of Energiehaus Arquitectos, with Oliver Style of Praxis Resilient Buildings delivering Passivhaus design, site supervision and preliminary blower door testing.

The Mirador de Gracia care home overlooks Barcelona from the Collserola hills, and is built on a challenging, sloped site. With a treated floor area of 4,600 square meters over eight floors, it includes 75 double rooms accommodating up to 143 residents, and additional facilities such as a gym, pharmacy, industrial kitchen and laundry, hair salon, seven day-rooms, and two roof gardens. The stunning sea views from this care home only add to its appeal, making it one of the most comfortable, low-energy, and draft-free residences of its kind in the region.

A new standard in comfort and energy savings

Mirador de Gracia exemplifies the potential of sustainable design for high-energy-demand buildings like care homes. With a 59 kWp roof-mounted solar photovoltaic array, this all-electric building generates around 26% of its annual energy consumption, contributing to significant operational and CO2 emission savings. Given that care homes are power hungry buildings- which require high standards of thermal comfort, 24/7 occupancy, and (in this particular case) daily production of around 469 meals—the building’s efficiency will translate into a projected 70% reduction in energy costs compared to traditional facilities.

Mirador de Gràcia, Vista superior contrucción

Commitment to sustainable building

Achieving Passivhaus certification for Mirador de Gracia is the result of five years of dedicated work on Praxis’s most challenging and ambitious project to date. FIATC Residencies, the developer behind this project, is setting a new benchmark for energy-efficient care homes, with five more Passivhaus-certified facilities underway in Catalonia and Valencia. These efforts reflect a broader commitment to enhancing thermal comfort, reducing energy consumption, and cutting CO2 emissions—a triple win for residents, the environment, and operational savings.

As we continue our work on more Passivhaus care homes, this milestone represents a significant step forward in creating sustainable, high-performance buildings that prioritize both people and the planet.

Praxis Resilient Buildings Celebrates Double Win at Prestigious Awards

ideadmin on 7 October 2024

We’re very excited to have won two coveted industry awards, as a company recognized for its commitment to sustainable construction and resilience in architecture.

Praxis Resilient Buildings Celebrates Double Win at Prestigious Awards

We’re very excited to have won two coveted industry awards, as a company recognized for its commitment to sustainable construction and resilience in architecture. These honours not only reflect the company’s contributions to the construction and engineering sectors but also highlight its leadership in the industry’s ongoing transformation..

BUILD Construction and Engineering Awards 2024

At the forefront of the recognition is the BUILD Construction and Engineering Awards 2024, where Praxis Resilient Buildings was named a winner. Each year, the BUILD research and judging team carefully evaluates trailblazing companies that are shaping the construction and engineering industries. This year’s campaign examined all phases of the construction process—from design and planning to execution and maintenance. With construction representing over 13% of the global GDP and employing over 200 million people, Praxis Resilient Buildings’ achievements stand out as a reflection of the sector’s innovation and growth.

CEO Monthly’s Global CEO Excellence Awards

Additionally, Oliver Style, CEO of Praxis Resilient Buildings, was personally awarded “Most Dedicated Architecture & Engineering CEO 2024 (Spain)” by CEO Monthly in their Global CEO Excellence Awards. The awards spotlight CEOs who go above and beyond for their teams and industries. Style’s dedication to his company, combined with his leadership in sustainable construction, earned him this prestigious accolade.

Reflecting on the double win, Oliver Style commented:

“It is a great honour to receive these two awards from BUILD and CEO Monthly, and I thank both organizations. These awards are the result of a lot of hard work, and above all, teamwork, for which I’d like to personally thank Bega Clavero and Macarena Rossetti for their dedication and commitment. Lastly, we’d be nothing without our wonderful clients: a big thank you to them all for putting their trust in us and for daring to put sustainable construction at the heart of what they do.””

These awards are a testament to the innovation and resilience that underpin the work of Praxis Resilient Buildings, as we continue to push the boundaries of sustainable architecture and engineering in an ever-evolving industry..

CEO Monthly’s Global CEO Excellence Awards

Bitoriano Etxea: Passivhaus Plus home

ideadmin on 30 September 2024

Bitoriano Etxea: Vivienda Passivhaus Plus

Description Praxis has carried out Passivhaus Plus certification for this semi-detached single-family home in Bitoriano, Álava, designed by architect and Passivhaus Designer Marçal Bonadona Berdala. The house has two floors with a treated floor area of 117 m². Built with a lightweight timber frame system, the walls have 24 cm of external insulation, 14.5 cm …

Bitoriano Etxea: Passivhaus Plus home

Passivhaus Certification

Description

Praxis has carried out Passivhaus Plus certification for this semi-detached single-family home in Bitoriano, Álava, designed by architect and Passivhaus Designer Marçal Bonadona Berdala.

The house has two floors with a treated floor area of 117 m². Built with a lightweight timber frame system, the walls have 24 cm of external insulation, 14.5 cm between the structure and 4.5cm in the service void. The roof has a total of 28.5 cm of insulation. Ecoven Plus S82 windows were used, along with argon filled low-emissivity triple glazing.

The ventilation system includes a WOLF CWL-2 325 heat recovery unit. Heating and cooling is provided by a radiant floor system with support from fan coils, powered by a Panasonic Aquarea KIT-ADC09JE5C-1 heat pump, which also produces domestic hot water.

The home achieved a blower door test result of n50 = 0.4 air changes per hour (ACH).

On the roof, 13 photovoltaic panels have been installed, generating around 6,000 kWh/year.

Links:

PEP (Plataforma Edificación Passivhaus)

iPHa (Base de datos internacional de proyectos Passivhaus)

Photos: Marçal Bonadona

Year: 2022
Location: Calle Iturribide, Bitoriano (Álava), Spain
Architecture: Marçal Bonadona Berdala
Services provided by Praxis: Passivhaus Certification
Passivhaus Certification Class: Passivhaus Plus
Climate zone: Warm Temperate
Floor area: 117 m2
Thermal envelope area: 498 m2
Blower Door Result: 0,4 n50
Heating Demand: 14 kWh/m2·a
Cooling Demand: 3 kWh/m2·a
Primary Energy Renewable consumption (EPR): 39 kWh/m2·a
Final Energy consumption: 32 kWh/m2·a
Renewable energy generation: 55 kWh/m2·a
CO2eq emissions: 17 kg/m2·a

Bellcaire: PHI Low Energy Building

ideadmin on 30 September 2024

Vivienda Baja Demanda Energética, Bellcaire d’Empordá

Description Located in Bellcaire d’Empordá, Catalonia, this single-family home was certified by Oliver Style as a PHI Low Energy Building. Designed by Gemma Blanes and Marina Farró from HEM Green & Balanced Architecture, and built by Evowall, the home has a compact triangular shape that takes advantage of the greater height to create two floors …

Bellcaire: PHI Low Energy Building

Passivhaus Certification, Blower Door test, Thermal bridge calculations

Description

Located in Bellcaire d’Empordá, Catalonia, this single-family home was certified by Oliver Style as a PHI Low Energy Building. Designed by Gemma Blanes and Marina Farró from HEM Green & Balanced Architecture, and built by Evowall, the home has a compact triangular shape that takes advantage of the greater height to create two floors and a double-height space in the sitting and dining room area of the house, adding spaciousness. The outdoor area features a pergola for shading in the summer months, adding a dynamic element to the building structure.

The home was built using the Evowall prefabricated steel-frame system, with a patented low-conductivity mortar and EPS and PIR insulation.

The pine timber windows frames are made by Unilux, with argon filled low emissivity double glazing, and traditional “Alicantina” shutters.

A Zehnder ComfoAir 180 balanced mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery provides comfort ventilation.

Heating and cooling are provided by an LG air-to-air heat pump with indoor ducted units. For domestic hot water, a Thermor Aeromax Split heat pump was used. Passivhaus certification was carried out by Praxis Resilient Buildings.

Links:

PEP (Plataforma Edificación Passivhaus)

iPHa (Base de datos internacional de proyectos Passivhaus)

Year: 2023
Location: Bellcaire d’Empordá, Girona, España
Architecture: HEM – Gemma Blanes / Marina Farró
Services provided by Praxis: Passivhaus Certification, Blower Door test, Thermal bridge calculations
Passivhaus Certification Class: PHI Low Energy Building
Climate zone: Warm
Floor area: 114 m2
Thermal envelope area: 481 m2
Blower Door Result: 0,8 n50
Heating Demand: 30 kWh/m2·a
Cooling Demand: 11 kWh/m2·a
Primary Energy Renewable consumption (EPR): 53 kWh/m2·a
Final Energy consumption: 42 kWh/m2·a
Renewable energy generation: 0 kWh/m2·a
CO2eq emissions: 22 kg/m2·a

Deep energy retrofit, Pamplona: EnerPHit Plus

ideadmin on 30 September 2024

Rehabilitación de Vivienda en Pamplona: EnerPHit Plus

Description This deep energy retrofit of a semi-detached home is one of the first in Spain to obtain the EnerPHit Plus certification. The project was certified by Oliver Style of Praxis Resilient Buildings, with Passivhaus design by Alberto Jimenez Tiberio of Arrebol Eficiencia Energética. The dwelling, over three floors, belongs to a row of terraced …

Deep energy retrofit, Pamplona: EnerPHit Plus

Passivhaus Certification

Description

This deep energy retrofit of a semi-detached home is one of the first in Spain to obtain the EnerPHit Plus certification. The project was certified by Oliver Style of Praxis Resilient Buildings, with Passivhaus design by Alberto Jimenez Tiberio of Arrebol Eficiencia Energética.

The dwelling, over three floors, belongs to a row of terraced houses located in Beloso, Pamplona. The exposed brick facades and the aesthetics of the neighbourhood meant the house had to be insulated internally, mainly using mineral wool insulation. To meet the Passivhaus requirements, certified Cortizo A84 window frames were installed together with low emissivity, argon filled triple glazing.

The airtightness of the envelope was massively improved during the renovation, with an excellent result in the final blower door test of n50 = 0.64 ach.

Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery is with a Siber Excellent 4 unit, ensuring a high level of air quality. An air-to-water Mitsubishi heat pump was installed for heating and cooling (using underfloor heating and fan coils), and for domestic hot water production.

Solar photovoltaic panels were installed on the roof, bringing the house to EnerPHit Plus certification. The PV array generates, during a typical year, more energy than the house consumes.

Retrofitting an existing home to Passivhaus standard is a bold step in sustainability, reducing a building’s carbon footprint by reusing the existing structure and slashing operational carbon emissions. The project was certified to EnerPHit Plus by Praxis Resilient Buildings.

Links:

PEP (Plataforma Edificación Passivhaus)

iPHa (Base de datos internacional de proyectos Passivhaus)

Year: 2024
Location: Pamplona, Spain
Architecture: Juan Carlos Muguerza
Services provided by Praxis: Passivhaus Certification
Passivhaus Certification Class: EnerPHit Plus Certification
Climate zone: Warm Temperate
Floor area: 299 m2
Thermal envelope area: 730 m2
Blower Door Result: 0,6 n50
Heating Demand: 20 kWh/m2·a
Cooling Demand: 1 kWh/m2·a
Primary Energy Renewable consumption (EPR): 72 kWh/m2·a
Final Energy consumption: 43 kWh/m2·a
Renewable energy generation: 74 kWh/m2·a
CO2eq emissions: 23 kg/m2·a

Caldes de Malavella: Passivhaus Classic home

ideadmin on 30 September 2024

Caldes de Malavella: Vivienda Passivhaus Classic

Description Single-family home that has achieved Passivhaus Classic certification, designed by architects Enrique Villavieja Martínez and Eva García Sayago, certified by Oliver Style from Praxis Resilient Buildings, and built by Ismael Fernández Ruiz from BYKO Sustainable Project and Construction Management. The home has a Treated Floor area of 132 m2 and is built with a …

Caldes de Malavella: Passivhaus Classic home

Passivhaus Certification, building physics, Blower Door airtightness testing

Description

Single-family home that has achieved Passivhaus Classic certification, designed by architects Enrique Villavieja Martínez and Eva García Sayago, certified by Oliver Style from Praxis Resilient Buildings, and built by Ismael Fernández Ruiz from BYKO Sustainable Project and Construction Management.

The home has a Treated Floor area of 132 m2 and is built with a cellular concrete construction system in floors and walls, and a lightweight timber roof system with mineral wool insulation.

Windows consist of PVC frames with triple low-e and solar control glazing and external roller blinds. Heating and cooling is provided by an all-in-one Passivhaus certified Panasonic Aquarea J series 7kW air-to-water heat pump with ducted indoor fan coils. Domestic Hot Water is generated by the same heat pump. A Zehnder ComfoAir Q350 ERV unit provides balanced mechanical ventilation with heat and moisture recovery. The house has a PV system that produces 6,800 kWh per year.

Links:

PEP (Plataforma Edificación Passivhaus)

iPHa (Base de datos internacional de proyectos Passivhaus)

Year: 2023
Location: C. Consell, Caldes de Malavella, Girona, Spain
Architecture: Enrique Villavieja Martínez y Eva García Sayago
Services provided by Praxis: Passivhaus Certification, building physics, Blower Door airtightness testing
Passivhaus Certification Class: Passivhaus Classic
Climate zone: Warm-temperate
Floor area: 132 m2
Thermal envelope area: 618 m2
Blower Door Result: 0,5 n50
Heating Demand: 15 kWh/m2·a
Cooling Demand: 14 kWh/m2·a
Primary Energy Renewable consumption (EPR): 55 kWh/m2·a
Final Energy consumption: 46 kWh/m2·a
Renewable energy generation: 43 kWh/m2·a
CO2eq emissions: 20 kg/m2·a

Paraparamu: Passivhaus Classic, New Zealand

ideadmin on 30 September 2024

Residencia McKinlay: Passivhaus Classic, Nueva Zelanda

Description The McKinlay Residence is located in the Kāpiti Coast District, Paraparamu, on the North Island of New Zealand. The home was designed by architect Ross Bennett, with Passivhaus consultancy done by Maria Rei of eHaus, and certified Passivhaus Classic by Oliver Style of Praxis Resilient Buildings. This single-story, detached family home has a treated …

Paraparamu: Passivhaus Classic home, New Zealand

Passivhaus Certification

Description

The McKinlay Residence is located in the Kāpiti Coast District, Paraparamu, on the North Island of New Zealand. The home was designed by architect Ross Bennett, with Passivhaus consultancy done by Maria Rei of eHaus, and certified Passivhaus Classic by Oliver Style of Praxis Resilient Buildings.

This single-story, detached family home has a treated floor area of 146 m² and was built using a lightweight timber frame system, with 140 mm of Eco Knauf insulation in the exterior walls, and 210 mm of insulation in the roof. Gealan Eco certified PVC windows were used, with low emissivity argon filled triple glazing.

The blower door test for this home achieved an excellent result of n50 = 0.27 air changes per hour (ACH).

Ventilation is provided by a Zehnder ComfoAir Q350 HRV unit with whole house balanced mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. A Panasonic split system is used for heating and cooling, and a Stiebel Eltron unit produces domestic hot water. Passivhaus certification was carried out by Praxis Resilient Buildings.

Links:

iPHa (Base de datos internacional de proyectos Passivhaus)

Year: 2022
Location: Datum Way, Paraparamu, New Zealand
Architecture: eHaus – Ross Bennett
Services provided by Praxis: Passivhaus Certification
Passivhaus Certification Class: Passivhaus Classic
Climate zone: Warm temperate
Floor area: 146 m2
Thermal envelope area: 558 m2
Blower Door Result: 0,3 n50
Heating Demand: 15 kWh/m2·a
Cooling Demand: 0 kWh/m2·a
Primary Energy Renewable consumption (EPR): 47 kWh/m2·a
Final Energy consumption: 33 kWh/m2·a
Renewable energy generation: 0 kWh/m2·a
CO2eq emissions: 18 kg/m2·a